Why are we completely ignoring our biggest organ, our skin? The skin care and cosmetics industry is a 200 billion industry and growing fast, often with great margins. Most of it is filled with barely legal chemicals, but there is a fast-growing natural, even regenerative, beauty space and we talk to one of the leaders.
We cover everything with Pierluigi Scordari, Sustainability Manager di N&B Natural is Better: ferments, probiotics and prebiotics, the skin microbiome, how they started, why they are fully vertically integrated, why they specifically grow plants for their active ingredients (aka nutrient density), and why processing fast (less than 2 hours after harvest) is so crucial, otherwise the ingredients aren’t alive and thus not working anymore.
Does it sound familiar? There are so many overlaps and similarities with the food space, except that this skin care space is full of really well-built brands with great margins. So, we have some work to do! And for many regen farmers, growing something for the skin care industry could be very interesting. Many plants which thrive almost naturally in the hard Mediterranean climate (rosemary, lavender, olives, etc.) are fundamental ingredients.
Yes, this involves frequencies, thinking about playing music to the plants and asking permission before removing leaves, all to achieve the highest possible quality and effectiveness. We spent a lot of time unpacking the almost superpowers of the queen of healthy plants: aloe vera.
WE ALL SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT WE PUT ON OUR SKIN
People choose carefully their food while ignoring what they put on their largest organ, the skin, which absorbs everything, yet consumers often grab products filled with synthetic chemicals without a second thought.
“Another interesting realisation is that very often we take care of what we buy in the supermarket. So, we will never buy something expired to make a cake; we take a lot of care about the air we breathe. We want to breathe air which is not polluted, but then we go and we buy products which contain only chemicals and that do not do any good on our skin.” Pierluigi Scordari
PROCESSING AND KEEPING THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS ‘’ALIVE’’ IS SO CRUCIAL AND SO DIFFICULT
There are technical challenges of manufacturing skincare. One of them is that even if a product lists natural ingredients on the label, they are often dead by the time they reach the consumer due to high-heat processing.
“Actually the innovation does not end in the extraction process because we developed a production method that even produces a face cream or a face serum using a low temperature of 25 to 35 degrees. And this is the real game changer: to keep 100% of the properties of rosemary, of lavender, and of aloe vera inside the finished product.” Pierluigi Scordari
REGENERATIVE BEAUTY
How the new term “regenerative beauty” differs from standard natural cosmetics? Pierluigi introduces a powerful parallel between the living ecosystems of the soil and the living ecosystem of human skin.
“We call this regenerative beauty, and there is an important link. A view of regenerative beauty, which actually involves the soil. This is an amazing parallel because the skin microbiota is efficiently restored, regularised and balanced thanks to prebiotics and prebiotic elements, of which aloe vera is the base. In the same logic, regenerative agriculture is restoring the microbiota of the soil. And the common goal is the same: bringing skin and soil back to life.” Pierluigi Scordari
THE SKIN MICROBIOME IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR YOUR SKIN AND THUS BODY HEALTH
Pierluigi highlights the specific science behind their aloe vera, revealing test results that show how the living ingredient actively balances the bacteria on human skin, strengthening its immune system.
“The test showed on the pure raw material, which sometimes we use even instead of water inside the product, 157% growth of the staphylococcus epidermidis, which is the good bacteria on the skin, and complete inhibition of the staphylococcus aureus, named the bad bacteria.” Pierluigi Scordari
WE CAN LEARN IN THE FOOD AND AG SPACE FROM THE NATURAL REGENERATIVE BEAUTY SPACE
What could the broader food system learn from the skincare world? The current economic model, which prioritises low prices over everything else, is the root cause of unsustainable farming.
“If I could change one thing, I wish I would change, how success is measured and defined and rewarded across the entire value chain. And why I say so, especially critically in large- scale retail. Today’s success is defined by short-term outcomes, low prices, and constant supply, and, you know, the purchasing habits are still reinforcing this model, pushing farmers to maximise output at the lowest cost. This gives little room for investment in soil health, nutritional values, and people’s long-term resilience of the system.” Pierluigi Scordari
PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC TO THE ALOE VERA PLANTS
Koen brings up the topic of “quantum agriculture” and plant consciousness. Pierluigi believes plants are sentient beings that respond to human interaction, revealing his experimental plans for the greenhouse.
“I would love to test the effect of music in our greenhouse; to make a concert, some classical music, is an active project I have in mind (…) I’m sure it can have an effect.” Pierluigi Scordari
OTHER POINTS DISCUSSED
Koen and Pierluigi also talked about
- why regen regen skin care and cosmetics as so interesting
- why the focus on active ingredients is driving change in the fields
LINKS:
LINKED INTERVIEWS:
- Martin Reiter – Building a $100B home for regenerative brands
- Alfonso Chico de Guzmán – The ag-tech that brings cows back
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The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.